


in dots and dashes

by amsves



Category: Code Geass
Genre: Anachronisms, Elvis - Freeform, Fluff, M/M, Morse Code, Oneshot, Singing, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-23
Updated: 2017-09-23
Packaged: 2019-01-04 07:29:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12164301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amsves/pseuds/amsves
Summary: Once, before their world falls down around them, they attend a wedding.(written for Suzalulu Week 2017!)





	in dots and dashes

**Author's Note:**

> Technically, canon doesn't say that Elvis _couldn't_ have released "Can't Help Falling in Love" in this alternate timeline, but the second song included didn't come out until 2014, so there's no way Suzaku and Lelouch could have known it. Oh well.

Once, before their world falls down around them, they attend a wedding.

Shirley’s older sister is marrying a wonderful boy from the Britannian army, and the wedding is taking place in Area Eleven. Shirley gets them all invitations, as her sister has “heard all about Shirley’s wonderful friends on the Student Council!” and “wants to get to know everyone!” 

Lelouch starts to protest, but Shirley promises him that Nunnally can come, too, and he concedes. 

The wedding itself is nothing special--Suzaku is sure that, compared to the extravagant ceremonies Lelouch had seen in his childhood, this one must look like a dollar-store affair--but Shirley’s sister (Caroline! Her name is Caroline) looks happy, and her new husband Jonathan seems like he’ll treat her right, so it’s all the same to him. 

They play pop tunes and sappy ballads from Caroline’s MP3 player and spin each other round on the dance floor. There’s enough champagne floating around that everyone is a little buzzed, Suzaku included, and he’s pretty sure that blush spread over Lelouch’s cheeks is not from embarrassment. Milly may have forced him to dance with her, but it’s not like he’s bad; he’s actually putting the groom to shame at the moment as he and Milly waltz around the floor like seasoned professionals, and Shirley looks about ready to explode. 

Soon enough Lelouch disengages himself from Milly, who looks more than a little put out (before launching herself at the nearest man without a dance partner), and returns to Suzaku’s side. He plucks a champagne flute from a waiter’s tray and downs it in one gulp. “I hate you for letting her get to me,” he murmurs, low voice barely audible over the music.

Suzaku smiles and shrugs. “You know how forceful she is.”

Lelouch gives a noncommittal grunt and leaves it at that. 

The current song ends, and a new one starts. The opening bars catch Suzaku’s ear; this is the first song he’s actually recognized in a while. He hums the opening lines as the singer starts to croon. “ _ Wise men say, only fools rush in _ …” he starts, but trails off as he notices Lelouch watching him with a fond smirk on his face. “What?”

“Nothing,” Lelouch offers, a slight tremor in his voice indicating he finds this hilarious. “I just didn’t take you for a sap, Suzaku.”

“Oh, sod off.” Suzaku swats Lelouch’s arm. “Everyone knows this song. I’m not special.” Lelouch says nothing, but his smile drops. “Wait, seriously? Do you not know this song?”

Lelouch bristles. “What’s so weird about me not listening to cheesy love songs?” 

Suzaku laughs, and Lelouch’s tipsy blush deepens. “I can’t believe there’s such a prominent gap in your all-encompassing knowledge. Anyways, this is actually one of my favorite songs, and I will not have you make me feel bad for liking it.” He taps Lelouch on the nose. “ _ Shall I stay? Would it be a sin? _ ” He grabs Lelouch’s hand. “Let’s dance.”

Lelouch sputters. “Are you crazy, Suzaku? Absolutely not. I refuse.”

Suzaku steps backwards towards the floor. He does not release his grip. “Oh, come on. You danced with Milly.”

“I didn’t have a choice!” 

Suzaku smiles. “What a coincidence! You don’t have a choice now, either. Let’s go.” Lelouch protests, but they both know the prince is no match for Suzaku’s superior physical ability. They make their way to the outskirts of the floor. 

“I don’t know how to dance the woman’s part, and I’m sure you don’t either,” Lelouch offers as a last-ditch excuse to get out of dancing.

“That’s okay; they’re mostly just swaying at this point.” Suzaku gestures to the crowd. “Most everyone is either too drunk to dance seriously like before, or they just don’t know how. There is absolutely no way for you to weasel your way out of this one,  _ my prince _ .” 

Lelouch wrinkles his nose at the moniker and relents. He lays his arms loosely on Suzaku’s shoulders, hands dangling freely behind the other boy’s neck. Suzaku places his own hands on Lelouch’s hips and the prince nearly jumps out of his skin. “Relax,” Suzaku laughs. “Just enjoy yourself.” 

“Easy for you to say,” Lelouch mutters. 

“Just sway to the music. Surely an experienced dancer such as yourself can get that much.” Lelouch pouts. Suzaku sings. “ _ Like a river flows, surely to the sea, darling, so it goes … _ ”

“Your singing voice is awful,” Lelouch complains. 

“Oh, really?” Suzaku raises his voice. “ _ Take my hand, take my whole life, too … _ ” 

“Oh, god. You’re awful,” Lelouch laments, but a smile replaces his pout. 

“ _... ‘Cause I can’t help falling in love with you _ ,” Suzaku finishes, and the song fades out. He steps apart from Lelouch. “There; that wasn’t so unbearable, was it?”

“I guess not,” the other boy concedes. A new song starts. Suzaku knows this one, too. “ _ When your legs don’t work like they used to before _ ,” he sings, before he stops. “Is it bad that this reminds me of Nunnally?”

Lelouch snorts. Suzaku takes that as an invitation to keep going. He steps back into Lelouch’s space and resumes their dance. “ _ Will your mouth still remember the taste of my love? _ ” 

“Will your eyes still smile from your cheeks?” Lelouch asks, and it takes Suzaku a moment to realize that those were the next lyrics. 

“Do you seriously know this song?” he asks, incredulous.

Lelouch sighs. “First you make fun of me for not knowing a song. Then you make fun of me for knowing a song. Goodness, Suzaku, you’re simply impossible to please.”

“I am not!” Suzaku squeaks. “I’m just thinking about how  _ people fall in love in mysterious ways. _ ”

“ _ Maybe just the touch of a hand _ ,” Lelouch agrees. 

Suzaku grins. “ _ Well, me--I fall in love with you every single day, and I just want to tell you I am. _ ”

Neither boy notices that Shirley is glaring daggers at Suzaku’s back, or that Rivalz has his phone recording all of this. 

“ _ So honey now _ ,” they sing together, and neither boy is a particularly good singer, but they can hardly be heard over the track anyways, and they’re both past caring about appearances in front of the other, “ _ Take me into your loving arms. Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars. Place your head on my beating heart _ .”

They’re so, so close to each other, so close that Suzaku can’t take one more step forward because then he’d step on Lelouch’s toes. So, instead, he takes one step backward. “Want to get some air?” he asks. 

Lelouch looks puzzled, and Suzaku repeats his inquiry louder. “Want to go get some air?” he half-shouts, but it still doesn’t work. He sighs and runs a hand through his air, thinking. Finally, an idea comes to him. He’s not sure whether Lelouch knows Morse code, but Suzaku certainly does, and this kind of thing seems like it’d be right up Lelouch’s alley anyways. He takes a shot and taps out his message on Lelouch’s palm. It must work, because this time, Lelouch nods, and they step outside. 

It’s a beautiful March evening, and the air is cool but not cold on their sweaty skin. Suzaku hadn’t realized just how hot it was inside the hall, but now he can feel the difference. It’s almost enough to make him shiver.

Lelouch’s hand ghosts over his own, and he does shiver.

Suzaku looks up at the sky. It’s completely clear, this far outside of the city center, and there are more stars than he could hope to count, even with Lelouch’s help. They can still hear the music outside, but now it’s a pleasant hum in the background, as opposed to the overwhelming noise of before. The words are barely intelligible from this range, but neither boy really needs them. They pick back up right where they were. “ _ I'm thinking 'bout how people fall in love in mysterious ways _ ,” Suzaku sings out, now that there are no bystanders to bother. 

“ _ Maybe it’s all part of a plan _ ,” Lelouch returns, not nearly as loud as Suzaku but still more strongly than before.

“ _ Well, I'll just keep on making the same mistakes, hoping that you'll understand _ !” 

“ _ So baby now _ !” Suzaku belts out startling them both. Lelouch giggles, and Suzaku’s whole face turns red as he continues. “ _ Take me into your loving arms _ !”

He doesn’t say the next line. Neither does Lelouch. They avert their eyes, suddenly embarrassed by simply swaying back and forth under the starry sky. Suzaku peeks back at Lelouch first, and finds the other boy to be nervous, if his worrying of his bottom lip is any indication. Finally, Lelouch glances back at Suzaku, and their eyes lock. 

“I’m really glad Shirley brought us to Caroline’s wedding,” Suzaku offers as an ice-breaker. 

Lelouch smiles softly. “Yeah, it’s been a nice night.” He glances back towards the dance hall. “Should we go back?”

“Maybe once the song’s over.” Suzaku listens for a moment to find his place. “ _ So, baby, now, take me into your loving arms _ .” 

Is it just his imagination, or are they closer than they started? For one, Suzaku’s pretty sure their foreheads weren’t touching when they came out here, but he doesn’t exactly mind it. It makes it pretty easy to stare into Lelouch’s breathtaking violet eyes, which seems like a pretty good idea right about now. He wonders why. 

Maybe it’s because he’s drunk.

That might also be why kissing Lelouch seems like it’d be a good idea right about now.

Speaking feels like it would ruin the moment, so Suzaku goes for the alternative. He taps out a quick message on Lelouch’s hip. It goes unnoticed at first, but Lelouch’s eyes widen as he understands halfway through. Suzaku repeats the message one more time. He spells out  _ C-a-n-I-K-i-s-s-Y-o-u  _ in dots and dashes, and waits with bated breath for Lelouch’s reply.

It comes not in Morse code, but in their own secret language. Lelouch removes one hand from Suzaku and tugs his earlobe twice.  _ Yes _ . 

It’s chaste, and it’s warm, and  _ damn _ Lelouch must religiously apply Chapstick or something because his lips are too soft and too plush and Suzaku’s own dry lips are unworthy. It’s a good thing Lelouch doesn’t seem to mind.

Distantly, head still swimming from alcohol and teenage hormones, Suzaku notices that they’re not alone anymore. A crowd has gathered off to one side, but thankfully none have noticed the pair yet. They seem to be waiting intently for something. 

Lelouch eyes him, questioning, and Suzaku shakes his head and dives back in.

A firework erupts behind them. Ah. So that’s why the party moved outside.

“The song’s stopped,” Lelouch mentions, and it takes Suzaku much longer than it should have to remember what he’s talking about. “Should we go rejoin the group?” 

Suzaku steals one more kiss before he agrees. They make their way back to their student council friends, who grill them incessantly. Lelouch offers a coy smile as an explanation, and Suzaku shrugs. The rest of the evening is spent exchanging sly touches and gentle smiles. 

Eventually, they make their way back to the academy. Suzaku has to restrain himself from kissing Lelouch goodnight in front of everyone, but settles for a “see you tomorrow” and a casual hug. On his way back to his room, he ponders how on Earth he ever got so lucky. 

(In just a few short weeks, Suzaku will be cursing his rotten luck for making him fall for a traitor and a terrorist. In just a few short weeks, Lelouch will be choking back tears as he discovers that the Lancelot’s pilot is Suzaku. In just a few short weeks their everything crumble into nothing as they bear arms against their brethren and Suzaku delivers Lelouch to the emperor. But that all occurs in a few weeks. For now, they are happy.)

**Author's Note:**

> Come scream with me @senpai-san.tumblr.com


End file.
